Should You Wire An Electric Trailer Jack In Before Or After A Battery Disconnect Switch

Question:

reference Lippert Electric Trailer Jack with Footplate - A-Frame - 18inch Lift - 3,500 lbs - Black Item # LC285318 I was wondering the proper way to wire this jack. My Keystone TT has a battery shut off switch at the battery to shut off all the power to the camper. should i wire this jack to the battery anyway or wire it in after the shut off switch somehow. thanks Respectfully,

asked by: Derek

Helpful Expert Reply:

It's going to depend on your preference, but most people will wire the Lippert Electric Trailer Jack # LC285318 after the battery disconnect to avoid having the jack drain the battery. There are people who want the jack to always work though so if this is the case for you then you would just run it straight to the battery and use some ring terminals.

If you want to wire it after the shut off then you can splice it in using a butt connector anywhere after the shut off. In this method you would cut the output wire and strip back the casing, twist up the output wire and jack wire and insert into one end of a butt connector and then the put the other side of the output wire in the other end of the butt connector to restore the connection.

If the output for the shut off runs to a DC distribution panel then you could also just run the jack wire to the panel.

I recommend splicing in after the disconnect so that you never have to worry about it running the battery down while in storage.

expert reply by: Kevin C